Luxembourg to punish future jihadists &amp; recruiters

Luxembourg is to make it a crime to recruit people as so-called “freedom fighters” abroad in a bid to curb the radicalisation of its country's Muslim residents.

27.12.2014

Luxembourg is to make it a crime to recruit people as so-called “freedom fighters” abroad in a bid to curb the radicalisation of its country's Muslim residents.

The governing council, which met on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, wants to register the act of recruiting people as terrorists for the Islamic state under the criminal code.

Luxembourers strongly suspected of participating in such acts may have their identity cards confiscated. The punishment for recruiting terrorists is to face a harsher penalty, however.

So far, six young people living in Luxembourg are known to have joined jihad fighters in Syria. Two died in Syria, two returned and the remaining two are thought to be in Syria still.